Bad To The Bone

After four years of controversy and questionable decisions, in and out of the Octagon, Jon Jones isn’t looking to apologize. He’s looking to fight.

- Andrew Gutman

Jon Jones set the stage for a legendary career when he won the light-heavyweight belt at 23 years old and became the youngest champion in UFC history. His combination of athleticism, precision, and penchant for violence made him a problem for anyone—Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, and Rashad Evans, to name a few. Many regarded, and still consider, Jones as the pound-for-pound best in mixed martial arts.

But he couldn’t keep his shit together out of the cage.

Jones’ downfall began in April 2015 when he pleaded guilty to a hit-and-run in his hometown of Albuquerque, NM. He landed himself 18 months of probation, lost his belt, and was suspended from the Ultimate Fighting Championship indefinitely. One year later, “Bones” returned

to the cage to win an interim belt and a rematch with the then current light-heavyweight champ, Daniel Cormier. But that was put on the back burner after he tested positive for an illegal substance (which he ingested when he took gas-station-brand Viagra). Boom—another year gone. Finally, Jones fought Cormier in July 2017 and won via knockout in the third round. But he got popped again.

Fifteen months later, and after being found innocent of intent to cheat by the United States AntiDoping Agency, Jones was set to re-re-return against Alexander Gustafsson in December 2018. But in an almost comical turn of events, Jones popped a third time (a third time!) two days before the bout. He was cleared to fight, but the entire event had to be moved from Las Vegas to California. Jon Jones just couldn’t elude drama. But when he’s pressed, it’s clear